Pleasure boating is a relaxing and enjoyable hobby. Whether it is a fishing boat, a cruiser, or a sail boat people enjoy the serenity and the calming effects of being on the water. The price of a boat, however can be quite expensive. A typical boat can cost from several hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. As a result, boat owners tend to take good care of their boats, so the boat can be enjoyed for many years. Some boat owners naturally take extremely good care of their boats.
One aspect of boating care is to secure the boat to a dock so that exterior damage to the boat is minimized. A dock is a structure that extends from the land out over the surface of the water and it allows boaters to get in and out of a boat without having to step into the water. However, simply securing the boat to the dock can potentially damage to the boat's exterior surface. For example, whether a boat hull is made of fiberglass, aluminum or wood, the exterior surface of the hull is prone to scratching. In addition, these surfaces may be painted or varnished, and/or have decorative and identifying decals. All of these surface treatments, along with the underlying material, may be damaged if the boat directly contacts the dock.
There have been various attempts to prevent boats from coming into contact with docks. One attempt has been to place automobile tires around the outer edge of the dock. A boat landing at the dock would then contact a rubber tire instead of the dock itself. Automobile tires, however, rub against the boat while landing, and while the boat is tied to the dock. The result is that many times automobile tires leave marks on the hull that are difficult to remove. In addition, the use of automobile tires is not aesthetically pleasing since tires on the post of a dock do not look good.
Another way to protect boat hulls is to provide resilient foam or plastic cylindrical buoys suspended either over the edge of the dock or the boat. These buoys are intended to prevent the exterior surface of the boat from contacting the dock either while landing the boat or while the boat is tied to the dock. There are problems with these buoys. The buoys are not stable. In windy conditions the buoys may end up laying on the dock or inside the boat. As a result, the exterior surface of the boat hull is left totally unprotected
Another aspect of careful boat handling is in landing the boat at the dock. In approaching the dock the boat driver must take care to avoid many potential obstacles. These obstacles include other boats, objects floating in the water, and objects that may be under the surface of the water, such as rocks and even the lake bottom. Not only must the boat driver avoid these objects he or she must also take care not to steer the boat too close to the edge of the dock. Directly hitting the dock can cause damage to both the boat hull and to the dock. As noted, automobile tires can mar the surface of the boat as it slides up against tires during a landing. Also, if buoys are used, they are prone to rolling from their position between the boat and the dock. The boat can then contact the dock, resulting in damage to the boat. As a result, there is a need for a system to protect boats from damage while landing the boat or while the boat is secured to a dock.